Spring Flowers in Autumn Winds
by MAVEN Hisakawa
Summary: OneShot. Sess x Kagura. An insight in a universe where Kagura didn't die the day she retrieved her heart from Naraku and survived his assault, finally winning her sought after freedom at long last. What would have been her relationship with Sesshomaru like, should fate had taken a different turn?
The wind smelt strongly of flowers as the gently blowing breeze blew golden petals to his direction. It was spring, after all. The season when blossoms bloomed, showing off their glory by painting the earth in different colors and filling the wind the pleasant parfum.

He continued to walk forward only to stop on his tracks when he saw her, sitting in the middle of a vast flower field, the wind visibly blowing around her as if to dance around at her mere presence. He could see her clearly from where he stood; her ebony black hair tied in a small bun, adorned by a feather, and her traditional dancer's kimono fitted perfectly around her petite frame.

She turned around and smiled at him as he neared, waving him closer to where she sat and so he followed.

Standing right next to her as she plucked petals from a blossom in her hand, letting the wind carry the small pieces away, he stared at her in silence, observing her movements, her very existence.

She was beautiful.

Although nothing like the inhuman and godly beauty of the elite demon females that he's crossed paths with before, Kagura of the Wind held her own charm that none of those privileged, spoiled royalties shared with her.

He would never admit it out loud, of course. Sesshomaru was far too prideful to admit he finds beauty in a lesser demon such as her.

He continued to stand there in silence. She looked up at him and smiled, plucking the last petal from the flower on her hand, feeding it to the gentle winds that surrounded them.

Her smiles looked so pure and gentle, and she looked and seemed so at ease and at peace.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

She finally broke the silence; not that he minded it, of course. It wasn't a heavy, awkward kind of silence to begin with. It was serene, solemn. Even he felt relaxed.

He didn't respond. There was not much to say to that entry question-in fact, it wasn't even spoken as a question, but more as a simply statement, an observation.

"I see you're still as quiet as ever."

Kagura stood, looking right up at him. She was much shorter than he was. Standing up, she came up to his shoulder at most, and so to look him eye to eye, she literally looked up to him.

Finally, he responded.

"Its been a few a years."

"Few?", she chuckled, "I suppose 10 years is few, in demon years."

Again, he didn't respond, and she just looked up at him, that smile still painted on her lips. She drew closer, and he simply stood still, watching her in silence. Finally, she stopped, standing right underneath him, close enough that he could almost feel her heart beating close to his body.

 _Her heart._

That's right... She finally reclaimed her heart from Naraku and after a year of suffering and slaving to his will, she was finally freed.

"I'm glad to see you after all this time... I've missed you, Sesshomaru."

It wasn't that he didn't choose to respond; this time, he dimply didn't know how. What was he supposed to even say to that? He wasn't a sentimental man-words of endearment are so foreign to him, he wouldn't even know which one was appropriate for the situation to say. But looking at her, she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she didn't seem to even be waiting for a response; she already knew what kind of persona the demon prince had.

Sesshomaru would've wanted to ask how she's been, if that freedom she long sought was just as sweet as she imagined it to be, but his thoughts were cut short. Before he even knew it, she was standing on her toes to reach him, her cold lips pressed against his very own, her soft hands cupping his cheeks, holding his face gently close to her. For a second, his eyes widened in surprise. He surely didn't come expecting this turn of event. But his surprise was swiftly overwritten, as he closed his eyes, letting himself loose with the moment.

Their kiss was short, much to his disappointment.

It was a parting kiss, after all.

She pulled back, leaving one hand on his cheek, her dark brown eyes staring deeply into his golden ones.

"You're leaving again?"

"Mmm... I only had a few minutes."

"Would you be back?"

"I doubt I could. I only came to say goodbye."

"I see."

He could feel it... The pang of remorse tugging at his chest. He didn't want her to leave, but even if he had what it takes to throw his pride out the window, what could he do? She wanted this. This was the freedom she had fought for. And he wouldn't take away so selfishly the one thing that meant most to her. He watched her silently as she plucked the feather that adorned her hair, revealing her signature vessel she's rode gracefully across the skies. Sitting on her mount, she hovered over the ground, high enough to see him eye to eye on a sitting position.

"It's going to be a long while 'till we run into each other again."

She smiled as she spoke, but he could see the sorrow in her eyes as she pondered on what she just said. She was right, after all.

"Goodbye, Sesshomaru."

And just like that... She was gone. Just like the last time he saw her the day she claimed her heart back from Naraku.

* * *

He opened his eyes.

The night was till young and dawn was still hours away. The bonfire Jaken built for Rin had died, leaving behind a trail of smoke and half-burned wood on the ground. The trees rustled peacefully as a gentle breeze blew through, carrying with it the scent of summer flowers and a single, yellow petal that landed itself on the demon prince's sleeve.

Gently, he picked the petal up between two fingers, his free hand trailing against his lips, as the memory of Kagura's soft lips against his own burned clearly through his mind.

 _Ah, so you were here, huh?_

He dropped his hands back to his sides, releasing the single petal back to the wind. Closing his eyes once more, he inhaled the deeply the nostalgic scent of spring flowers, blowing through the autumn winds.

 _If only you didn't die that day, maybe perhaps, dreams wouldn't be the only place we'd always meet._


End file.
